


Do You Not Know How Love Works?

by LeyLines



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Assumptions, M/M, Misconceptions, attempt at comedy lol, but not really?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-18 05:52:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16989255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeyLines/pseuds/LeyLines
Summary: “Fuck you, man,” Ryan growled, rubbing his tailbone where he landed on when he fell down just moments ago.“I’m pretty sure that’s what Devon already thinks we’re doing,” Shane said cheerfully, not at all sounding bothered by the thought.“Oh shut up, dude.”______________________There are many many reasons why everyone thinks they're together. They're really not.…or are they?This is that story.





	Do You Not Know How Love Works?

**– Cindy, _Starbucks,_ barista –**

The first time it happened, she didn’t think much of it. Just one small request from a good-looking guy, just another Monday morning filled with endless orders from nine-to-five folks who needed their coffee to get the day started.

“Hi, how’s it going?” the guy—black hair, round eyes, incredibly white teeth, bulging arms—greeted perfunctorily, already squinting at the menu.

Cindy waited patiently as the guy continued to make faces at the overhead display, appreciative of the few moments of respite it provided from the nonstop orders that poured in at this hour. She loved her job—and it was only part time anyway—but people who haven’t had their coffee yet, on a Monday morning no less, can be quite…well, _difficult_.

The guy leaned closer to her, eyes still on the menu, to make himself heard over the din of the packed place. “Can I have a Venti Caffè Mocha with an extra shot of espresso, and, uhhh…Sh—can I get a Cinnamon Chai? Venti please.”

She punched in the order, then asked if he would like to get any pastries with his order.

“Uhh, no, thanks.”

“Can I get your name for the cup, please?”

“Ryan,” he said distractedly, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

As Cindy scribbled his name on the cup, she watched him literally light up as he read what must be a text. One second ago, he looked tired and distant and sluggish…and now he was smiling a thousand-kilowatt smile, his shoulders shaking with muffled laughter as he shook his head fondly at whatever it was on his phone. When he turned back to her, she almost swooned at his expression.

“So, uhhm,” Ryan started, still smiling that disarming smile that should be illegal somehow. “Can you, uhh, write Shane on the Cinnamon Chai cup?”

“Sure, no problem,” Cindy managed to chirp in her barista voice, but inside she was really trying to decide whether this Shane thing was related to the text Ryan got just moments ago.

“Awesome,” Ryan grinned, pulling money out of his wallet. He left the shop humming with cheerful energy, almost bouncing on his feet—and he hadn’t even had a drop of his coffee yet.

She next saw him again two days later, around the same time, wearing pretty much the same drained expression, ordering yet another coffee-and-tea pair of drinks—this time with two extra shots of espresso in his coffee. She was curious whether he was going to make the request again, but he really looked dead on his feet.

She paused with the marker poised on the other cup. “What name should I write on the chai?”

Ryan slowly looked up at her, took a few slow seconds to process her question, then his eyes lit up with an amused sort of wonder. He cracked a grin. “Just put Shane on it, please.”

Cindy smiled to herself as she finished setting up his order, trying her best not to look too interested in some stranger’s personal life. But he was just drop-dead gorgeous when he smiled like that, and she was a sucker for guys with big boisterous smiles, _so_.

From then on, she saw him in the shop almost every other day—he ordered different drinks every time, but they were always, _always_ a coffee and a tea. This Shane person must love tea, or hates coffee or something. Either way, lucky her. Or _him_ —Cindy may or may not have spent some time trying to figure that one out, but in the end, Shane was just a very gender-neutral name, and Cindy wasn’t heteronormative  at all. Ahhh, the _burning_ curiosity!

This routine with Ryan and his orders, along with her interest in the elusive mystery partner, was interrupted in the most unexpected of ways about month or so later.

A very tall customer walked into the shop with the cool collectedness of someone who was obviously unaffected by the despair of another Monday morning that everybody else seemed to have. He was wearing a denim jacket that complimented his dark mocha hair so much it was borderline obscene. And he was just… _So. Damn. Tall._

“Hi,” he said in a deep, melodious voice that made Cindy want to grab the counter with both hands and repeatedly smash her head on it. He wasn’t even what one would call handsome in a conventional manner, but he was still devastatingly attractive. Why, Los Angeles, _whyyyy_?

“Hi,” she managed to say without choking or worse. “What can I get for you today?”

The guy didn’t even have to look up as he threw a quick glance at the overhead display. “I’ll have a Classic Chai, Grande, with a shot of vanilla.”

“Name for the cup, please?”

Tall Guy ran long fingers through his silky-looking hair. “Shane.”

Cindy’s heart rate spiked for a moment there— But the name was pretty common. _Right_?

“…and can I also get a hot Caramel Macchiato with extra caramel and espresso?”

It can’t be…can it? _Can it??_ She decided to chance it, and asked tentatively, “Name for this one…?”

Shane’s lips pulled ever so slightly at the sides into the world’s softest smile. “Ryan.”

She screamed internally. She doesn’t even know why—she just did.

Cindy could have sworn she wasn’t imagining the cocktail of warmth and fondness and love bursting out of that split-second of a smile that she just witnessed. It was a mesmerizing thing to watch, but at the same time she felt a bit frustrated—why did all the gorgeous people have to be taken already?

But one look at the contented serenity on Shane’s expression, and all the frustration couldn’t help but just melt away. Now she just felt happy that she had the chance to put a face to the name that she’s been scribbling into cups for weeks and weeks. She had been _soooo_ curious—who was this mystery person that Ryan had been buying coffee for so diligently and happily? It was such a small thing, just a short moment in her very long day, but something about it stood out to her in a way she couldn’t put into words. Maybe it was the smile that always transformed the guy’s face whenever he turned the cup around to check that it really said _Shane_.

Cindy sighed to herself. They looked so good together, even if all she had was a mental image of them—she sure hoped she could see them walk in together someday. Now _that_ would be something _._

What a lucky couple.

* * *

  **– Kelsey Impicciche, _In Control with Kelsey_ , lead producer, editor –**

Kelsey was beyond thrilled when she got the email from Ryan saying that their collab for her show was a go. It was no secret that the Unsolved boys raked in the views nowadays, no matter where they were or what they did, and BuzzFeed was all for milking the success of their employees by putting them in as many videos as possible. This worked out wonderfully for everyone—more exposure for the boys, more following for her show, more views for BuzzFeed. Everybody’s happy, and budgets were approved effortlessly!

“Hi! Thank you so much again for agreeing to do a season,” Kelsey greeted cheerfully on the first day of their shoot, shaking their hands.

She was already excited about the very probable success of their videos, but she also realized this will be her first time working with these two, and she was all for meeting new people. They worked in the same company, but their different floors and even more different schedules made it pretty much impossible to interact other than at company parties or company-wide meetings.

“This is going to be so awesome!” she trilled happily, showing them in to her set.  “I’m so excited!”

“Yeah, me too,” Ryan grinned lopsidedly, throwing Shane a look that she couldn’t quite place. His eyes had a half-nervous, half-mischievous twinkle in them as he eyed his tall co-host meaningfully for a few more seconds.

Shane met his loaded look with nothing but a cool smirk, then turned to smile pleasantly at Kelsey. “Thank you for inviting us, Kelsey. It sounds like a fun project, and I really appreciate the time away from Ryan’s screaming radio.”

Ryan’s arm swung around to smack Shane in the back so fast Kelsey barely saw it coming. She would have been alarmed, if not for Ryan’s childish guffaw and Shane’s mirthful chortle. “Shut up, Shane.”

“ _Whoa_ ,” she chuckled at them. “I watched your videos just recently. You guys get up to some interesting stuff too. All the plane rides though…”

Ryan scrunched his nose at that. “Yep. You can only do so many hours before it starts feeling bleh.”

“I try my best,” Shane said quietly, tone serious all of a sudden. Kelsey opened her mouth to say something to that, but she quickly realized that Shane was looking at Ryan. Shane had a placating expression on, and Ryan looked apologetic as a result.

“Naaaah, it’s really just the flight itself,” Ryan shook his head, fixing a contrite look on Shane. “You know how I get.”

Shane then nodded with an understanding look, and Ryan looked relieved.

Kelsey just stood there quietly as she watched the peculiar exchange. It was difficult to explain. She felt like there was a completely different conversation taking place at the same time, but one that was nonverbal—one that she definitely wasn’t a part of.

…maybe the two were telepathic? It was _that_ , or they just knew what the other was thinking so well to the point that they can hold a conversation through stares and facial expressions alone. And they were so wrapped up in their own bubble too that they didn’t even realize other people missed out on what was going on.

Oh well.

She _did_ watch their videos…and stalked the comments section extensively. Actually, she must have spent more time reading the fans’ very interesting—very _enlightening_ , ahem—feedback than watching the videos themselves. Oh, it was going to be an interesting season. Without a doubt. _And all the views…!_

Kelsey clapped her hands together, smiling widely. “So boys, shall we?”

The private bubble burst then, and they both turned back to her with a united front as a two-man team, all business-like but also friendly and charming—just like clockwork, wow. Solid teamwork they got there.

Ryan smiled at her good-naturedly and waved a hand towards the stage. “Lead the way, please.”

_And lead, I shall,_ she thought happily.

* * *

**– Kelsey Impicciche, _Part 2_ –**

“We do have the same boots,” Ryan shared enthusiastically, to Kelsey’s delight.

She did have some _specific_ questions in mind, but volunteered information was always a pleasant surprise. She tried not to smile too much as the guy lifted his leg without warning and practically shoved it on top of the table.

“These bad boys,” Ryan said proudly, gesturing to his feet. “We kill ghouls in these boots.”

Ryan continued to create digital Shane with an unwavering childlike delight in his eyes, chattering away for the camera without having to be prompted. Kelsey was actually having fun—she had no idea what the Unsolved guys were going to be like during filming, as playing a computer game was completely different to what they did on their own show. But Ryan made faces a lot, joked a lot, and looked like he was having the time of his life. It was going to be an amazing episode.

When Ryan just skipped the sports tab, Kelsey decided it was time to try for _that_ line of questioning.

“You guys have had sleepovers, right?” she asked impishly, unable to say it in a completely neutral tone. In fact, she was pretty sure she had a wide grin on her face, laughing at her own phrasing of the question.

Ryan barely had any reaction to it, though. He just shrugged at the screen as he casually dismissed that Sim Shane was wearing pretty much what Real Shane wore for sleep. Which was boring—his reaction, not the clothes. Kelsey tried not to pout.

Then it was time for giving Sim Shane a personality. Kelsey had to explain to Ryan how to maneuver the controls for making the face, but the clothing and personality sections were pretty straightforward and required no further instruction. Ryan looked at the traits one by one, examining each while providing commentary.

“Kleptomaniac? Maybe,” he shrugged, then turned to the camera with a comically triggered expression. “I mean, he could have been hiding things from me for a while. I don't live with him, _despite popular belief_.”

What?? Waaaait— _what_?!

Kelsey’s smile didn’t falter, but she was screaming internally—lots to unpack there! Why did Ryan choose the word _hide_ , as if Shane was expected to be completely honest and forthright with him? And what did he mean ‘ _despite popular belief_ ’? Was he aware of the…some of the stuff going around in the comments sections? In the fanfics, even? Was it true, then? Just… _what_??

Soon, they were done with the personality part, and Kelsey was thankful she didn’t have to do much talking at all—she was still dissecting the things she had just learned, and was quickly recalculating what she thought she knew versus what she wanted to find out in the course of this episode.

And… _all the views!_

After a while, it was Shane’s turn. Same process as Ryan’s—create the Sim, pick outfits, then choose personality traits.

“I heard you guys have the same boots,” Kelsey mentioned casually, attempting to bait Shane for the first time. She had been distracted the entire time Shane was creating digital Ryan—he just seemed so sure of what he needed and wanted to do. Plus, he was a very entertaining talker, with all the interesting backstory bits and his knowledge of Simlish. Shane was definitely keener and a lot more observant than Ryan seemed to be. Not as dense.

Kelsey pressed her lips together, not wanting to look so…shippy. Not immediately, anyway. They got a full season to shoot, and she didn’t want awkward vibes to ruin the potential of their collab.

Shane, much to her surprise, proceeded to lift his leg up until his foot was above the table—he then explained, in a matter-of-fact tone, the history of the ghoul-killing boots.

Was flexibility a part of the job requirements for being a ghost hunter? Because, _wow._

“Ryan bought a pair too, he liked them so much,” Shane explained, smiling cockily at the camera. “I can't blame him. I make him look good.”

Kelsey wondered how much of Shane’s statements were deliberately worded the way they were. Shane didn’t look like it—or at least, the character he portrayed on Unsolved didn’t seem to be that way—but he looked like he was actually shrewd and cunning, an excellent performer for the camera.

“What does he sleep in? You guys have had sleepovers,” Kelsey tried again after a while. But Shane was having far too much fun putting Ryan in the ridiculous alien suit.

…but then again, Kelsey thought that maybe that was a calculated move. It was tricky to tell with Shane.

After a while, it was time for the part of the episode where the two guys discuss their creations. Kelsey was hoping for more… _interesting_ content here, and she was not disappointed.

“Before we do this,” Ryan started right off the bat, his head turned all the way to the side, fixing a wide grin at Shane. “…how would you rate yourself in making me?”

Shane looked him straight in the eyes and answered confidently, “Honestly, ten out of ten.”

Slight smirk. “Yeah, I was about to give myself a nine.”

And then they proceeded to bicker about what they wanted to do but couldn’t do, all the while looking at each other in the eyes as if Kelsey wasn’t sitting between them, looking back and forth at the two of them like a third wheel stuck between two guys having their own conversation. They seemed to have forgotten about the camera as well.

It was almost surreal, the private bubble that the two seemed to be able to summon on command.

Kelsey just hung her head and smiled to herself.

“Yeah, so we both had our issues,” Ryan concluded.

Shane shrugged. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

Well…good start to the season!

“Whew!” Kelsey smiled winningly at the camera. Working with couples sure made for a very entertaining show.

* * *

**– Aria Inthavong, _Debatable_ , production assistant –**

He was wiping his keyboard down when he felt a light tap on his shoulder.

“Aria, you got a moment, buddy?”

He turned around, and had to look up _wayyy_ too high. “Oh, hey Shane.”

Without missing a beat, Shane grabbed a nearby empty chair, plopped down on it, and handed Aria several printouts. “You up for doing the intro for Debatable?”

Aria almost dropped the printout in surprise—he hurriedly shoved it into an empty space on his desk. “Uhh, why? What’s up?”

His tall colleague—tallest man he had seen in person, actually—shifted in his seat, looking more animated than Aria had ever seen him outside of an Unsolved video.

“Let’s just say,” Shane hedged, long fingers tapping rhythmically against the arm rest of his borrowed swivel chair. “I really can’t miss this opportunity to be one of the debaters.”

Aria frowned, slightly confused. “Why is that?”

Shane grinned then. “It’s about ghosts!”

Now Aria was even more confused. “But, uhh…you already have an entire show about ghosts?”

Shane was already shaking his head theatrically. “I gotta be in it. If he goes, I go. We’re a package deal.”

That didn’t clear things up at all—but before Aria could even say one word, Shane abruptly stood up, eyes locked on to his phone.

“If you’re cool with it, I’ll email you the rest of the documents,” Shane said distractedly, tapping away at his phone. A wide smile was plastered on his face, too. “The basic info is on the printout I just gave you. For now, I got a lunch date to catch.”

“O…kay?” Aria trailed off, watching Shane practically fly down the stairs  after waving goodbye.

Aria leafed through the sheets, trying to get the gist of the episode. Then he paused when he saw the cast list.

“Ahhhh…now I see.” _Ryan Bergara._

So that’s why Shane said _package deal._ Lunch date, huh?

He had no idea the Unsolved hosts were together. But with their chemistry on and off camera being through the roof, he supposed it wasn’t surprising at all.

* * *

**– TJ Marchbank, _BuzzFeed Unsolved_ , first assistant director –**

He let Devon break the good news to the two, knowing she can say the whole thing with much more flare than he ever could—he was right, of course. She gathered them into what the two hosts affectionately dubbed the _Ghoul HQ,_ and cheerfully announced that Unsolved was going to be given its own channel, budgets were going to be a lot more than they used to be, and the company was looking forward to at least several more seasons. Devon had even gone as far as hinting that more international shoots were within reach, considering the steadily rising success of the show.

TJ was glad he decided to just sit in the corner and let Devon do all the talking—he had a front row seat to this very momentous scene unfolding before him. Devon was gesturing grandly with her hands, her blond curls tossing about elegantly as she outlined all the projects that they can do to help boost the popularity of Unsolved, a glint of determination in her eyes as she plotted and planned for Unsolved to acquire the same—if not _bigger_ —budget as Worth It. Ryan was simultaneously displaying expressions of extreme excitement, abject horror, and profound gratitude. There were a lot more thrown into the mix, as was always the case with Ryan, but those were the three big ones. Shane, on the other hand, had one huge hand covering his face, his eyes wide with surprise. He wasn’t speaking, wasn’t even moving.

Out of the three, TJ was most surprised with Shane’s reaction. He had already known Devon was ambitious and determined like no one else, and Ryan was always experiencing emotions from both ends of the spectrum. But Shane was not commonly ruffled, rarer still was he ever rendered speechless. And right now, he looked like he had seen a ghost, to be honest.

TJ snickered to himself—he should have recorded this.

When Ryan fell down shakily on a chair and started muttering nervously to himself, TJ took a moment to remember the days when he had just started working with them on the show two years ago.

Those first three episodes— _3 Horrifying Cases of Ghosts and Demons, The Spirits Of The Whaley House, and The Haunted Decks of the Queen Mary_ —made for a tumultuous start to their professional relationship, at least in his mind.

As first assistant director, one of his many jobs is to make sure that everyone on the crew is safe and in tip-top working condition. This was fairly easy with Unsolved, since they do not have a large team—it wasn’t hard to keep track of everyone’s needs.  There was only one person who was constantly in danger, in ways that TJ wasn’t even sure was within the scope of his job as first AD. And that guy was the star of the show—well, co-star of the show—Ryan Bergara.

_Ryan_ …TJ had no idea in the beginning how to deal with the problems that Ryan had on set. The guy was always genuinely spooked by stuff, always on the verge of freaking out at the slightest sign of sounds or movement where there isn’t supposed to be any, always throwing them wide-eyed looks of terror behind the camera, always clutching his chest like he was going to have a heart attack.

Really, TJ didn’t know what to do—the guy was the host of a ghost show. He even thought up the damn thing!

Ryan was amazing at what he does, and TJ never doubted that for a second. His ideas were consistently interesting, his research was admirably extensive, his attention to detail was impeccable, and his work ethic was hands down one of the most exceptional that TJ has ever had the pleasure of working with. But none of that changed the fact that Ryan gets terrified to within an inch of his life every time they filmed on location, and TJ was categorically concerned that Ryan may actually go into cardiac arrest.

This had been a great source of stress for TJ back then. Money was important and all, but he will cut scenes and stop filming if the situation was no longer safe for the crew. And so, there were a few times he had to interrupt the shoot because Ryan had started hyperventilating, and he was convinced they needed an ambulance stat. This meant they lost a few good clips, but what was TJ supposed to do? He couldn’t exploit a man’s suffering just for views.

The shocker was that Ryan was upset that TJ had interrupted the shoot at all. The man insisted that he was fine, that everything was okay—it clearly _wasn’t_ —and that there was no need to waste time and perfectly good footage on unnecessary breaks. He even had the gall to point out to TJ that it was in the nature of a ghost investigation to be scary and therefore getting scared shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

It was a nightmare. On one hand, Ryan had a point. But on the other, TJ felt like he was wrestling with a very disconcerting moral crisis, plus a very real possibility that one of their videos would end up involving Ryan passing out—or _worse_. It might make an interesting episode for the show, but the company won’t be thrilled about it. Not in the slightest.

And so, the struggle continued…until Shane solved the issue for him.

“Listen, uhhm,” Shane had pulled him aside after TJ had thrown up on an innocent tree outside the Sallie House and Ryan promptly lost his mind, insisting that it was the demon that caused it. “Sorry about that. Ryan’s a bit…spooked by the house. He hates demons.”

TJ managed to roll his eyes as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. He glanced at the rental car, where Devon was keeping Ryan busy with conversation. “No kidding, man. I thought he was gonna call an exorcist.”

Shane bit back a laugh. “I figured you wouldn’t appreciate making a cameo in the show. _First AD on set got possessed by the demon of the Sallie House, tune in to our channel for a bonus video of the exorcism. Coming soon on Unsolved._ Oh man, that would’ve been something.”

“Oh God,” TJ groaned, taking the water bottle Shane brought for him. “I shouldn’t have eaten that chicken. I knew something felt off.”

“We can call a priest, if you want,” Shane offered, eyes crinkling with mirth, as it always did whenever he talked about anything remotely related to ghosts and demons.

“But seriously, man,” TJ huffed, plopping down on the grass for a much needed break. “I’m just lost. I don’t know how to deal with this—how do _you_ do it?”

“Do what?”

TJ waved at the direction of the car. “Deal with his fears. He _always_ gets scared, man. Don’t get me wrong—getting scared is fine, it’s kinda the point of the show. Makes for good footage, you know? But he just gets too riled up, and frankly I’m worried he’s gonna drop dead out of fright one of these days. And we just can’t have that.”

“Uhhh, no, we can’t,” Shane echoed.

TJ shook his head. “I don’t know what to do, when to do it—I have to interrupt when he looks like he’s losing it, but he gets upset when I do it because it _ruins_ the moment. So I try to figure out when he’s doing okay and when he needs a break, but I just can’t nail it. I swear he looks at me sometimes like he’s about to strangle me for all the footage that we _wasted_.”

Shane sat down beside him, but didn’t say anything.

“Why do _you_ never look too bothered, anyway?”

Shane snorted. “Ghosts aren’t real, Teej.”

“Not that,” TJ grumbled. “I mean—don’t you worry about him? He can look like he’s about to shit his pants out of pure terror, and it doesn’t faze you a bit.”

He dragged long fingers across his hair and glanced across the yard, to where Ryan and Devon were. “Well, I guess I just know him too well? You know Ryan, you’ve seen him—you said it yourself, he gets riled up. He’s always been like that, and I got…used to it? I guess I’ll just know when he’s truly losing it when I see it. So yeah.”

TJ stared at him incredulously for a long moment, but Shane just started whistling cheerfully.

“Guess you’ll just have to be my Ryan meter, then,” TJ mumbled after a while.

“Your what?”

TJ just shrugged. “He really freaks out all the time, man. I’m out of ideas. Worrying about him during shoots has taken about ten years off my life at this point. So I give up. If filming needs to pause or something, you make the call.”

“ _Me_ …?”

TJ stood up. “Yes, you. You know him better than I do.”

“I…can’t deny that.”

“Alright. Glad I’m done with that,” TJ sighed. “Let’s get back to filming this thing then.”

And from then on, TJ just looked at Shane whenever Ryan started freaking out. Shane would just smile good-naturedly most times, a sign that Ryan was just being his usual jumpy self—and when Ryan was looking particularly terrified, Shane would just shake his head subtly at TJ, before starting to coax Ryan back into a calmer state of mind.

TJ quickly learned that Shane was, without a doubt, a highly reliable—and perhaps the _only_ effective—means of detecting Ryan’s mini meltdowns. The guy was pretty much unpredictable, and TJ could hardly see a pattern to his freak outs no matter how hard he looked. And sometimes, there was simply no warning.

The most notable example of this was when they were walking down one of the many many dark corridors of Waverly Hill Sanatorium. They were moving from one location to another, bringing their lighting rigs with them. Ryan had been uncharacteristically quiet for a while then, which TJ now knew he should have been wary of. But back then, he just thought Ryan was just lost in his own thoughts, maybe thinking about the script.

Out of nowhere, Shane dropped the tripods he was carrying, grabbed Ryan firmly by the shoulders, and started stirring him out of the building through the quickest route possible. By the time TJ and the rest of them were able to catch up with the two, Ryan was already crouched on the ground, rocking back and forth slowly, his head tucked between his knees.

“ _What_ —is everything okay?” Devon asked anxiously, but Shane just made a shushing motion. When he was sure no one else was going to say anything for the time being, he sat down next to Ryan and murmured things quietly, his tone soothing and gentle.

When Ryan eventually emerged from his…whatever that was, Shane was immediately offering him water and an energy bar. Ryan shook his head, but he met Shane’s steady gaze with a grateful look.

TJ barely even heard Ryan apologize to him for ‘suddenly chickening out,’ he was so busy processing what probably should have been obvious to him—Shane _and_ Ryan.

All those times Shane ordered food on behalf of Ryan without asking him what he wanted. All those times Ryan offered to drive Shane home after a shoot that dragged on until late at night. All those times they drifted off into sleep together, regardless of place or time, without a care in the world.

TJ had always wondered at the depth of their friendship.

Now he knew it was so much more than that.

* * *

**– TJ Marchbank, _Part 2_ –**

After a few times of running into Ryan in the mornings following filming that was rough on the guy’s nerves, TJ realized that the scary nights were really taking its toll on him. It was obvious without asking that Ryan didn’t get even a wink of sleep. Hell, he looked like he wasn’t able to eat anything at all.

Simply put, it was really bad.

“So I was thinking,” TJ said slowly, glancing behind Shane to make sure Ryan wouldn’t accidentally walk in on them. “Ryan looks like he could use some sleep after shooting.”

Shane cocked his head to the side, not quite getting what TJ was hedging at.

“I mean, you’ve seen him. Guy looks dead on his feet, pretty much,” TJ explained.

“That’s true,” Shane sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s a pretty alarming sight.”

TJ tried his damnedest to put on the straightest, flattest expression he could muster. “I was just thinking you guys could maybe spend some time together after filming. Recuperate and all that, you know.”

“Huh—” Shane breathed, eyebrow raising.

TJ held his hands up quickly. “I could get you guys the day off, if needed.”

Shane straightened up and opened his mouth, but TJ cut him off again before he could say anything.

“So yeah, I was wondering if you can make sure he gets enough rest. Some food into his system. Water. Maybe stay the night or something.”

Shane slowly closed his mouth, his lips pressing into a flat line that _almost_ had TJ swallowing nervously. TJ really didn’t wanna read too much into it, but it was hard to deny the frown that Shane was leveling at him. Guy looked intimidating as hell sometimes, in all honesty.

After a while, Shane shrugged and looked away.

“Look, man…I just don’t want him to get sick or something,” TJ sighed, wondering now if he said something out of line. Shane looked like TJ force-fed him something sour.

“This is Ryan we’re talking about, Teej,” was all Shane said, very much sounding like he wanted that to be the end of this particular conversation.

Yep. Shane definitely took this as an implication that he wasn’t taking good enough care of Ryan, and he was clearly bristling at the idea—which was sooo not what TJ meant, but it didn’t look like he could convince the guy otherwise.

“A day off after shooting would be nice,” Shane acquiesced after a while. “We could definitely use some rest.”

“Okay, good! I’ll let Devon know,” TJ said quickly, wanting to end the topic on a good note.

“Yeah… Thanks, man.”

TJ tried not to sigh in relief. “No problem.”

\------

“Hey man,” Shane said, plopping down on his chair beside Ryan. “You doing anything on Friday?”

Ryan made a face at him. “No. We’re shooting on Thursday. It’s going to be another long ass night. I’ll probably feel like shit after. Actually, scratch _that_ —I’ll totally feel like shit afterwards. So yeah, that’s what’s happening on Friday. Shit day.”

“Right,” Shane said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he slunk down lower on his seat. “Well, keep it free. I’m sleeping over.”

Ryan spun around to face him. “You’re what now?”

Shane shrugged as much as he could in his current position. “TJ’s orders. I’m sleeping over. With my pajamas and all.”

“TJ?” Ryan repeated incredulously. “Wait, _what_? I don’t even know where to begin—”

“And we get Friday off.”

“Wait— _really_??”

“Yep. But only if I wear my jammies. At your place. After the shoot.”

“You’re being weird, man,” Ryan frowned. “Weirder than usual, anyway.”

“Not weirder than TJ. He cornered me earlier—he looked kind of deranged, actually. You really have to sleep, man. I think TJ is gonna start threatening me if you continue looking like a wreck after our shoots.”

“I don’t even know what to say to that.”

Shane just waved a hand dismissively. “Neither did I. But never mind that. Is that a yes? No?”

“Fine,” Ryan huffed, grabbing their empty mugs. He stood up and stretched his legs. “As long as you bring pizza, man.”

“Deal.”

* * *

**– Devon Joralmon, _BuzzFeed Unsolved_ , line producer –**

She leafed through the bunch of papers in front of her one more time while she waited for Ryan and Shane. She already knew the contents by heart of course, but seeing the figures printed out in crisp company paper helped cement the image of success in her head. They were only several episodes in on the new channel, but the numbers were already great. So much so that the company actually gave the go-ahead for Ryan’s half-joking suggestion that they go on a treasure hunt for the season finale.

Devon smiled to herself as she put the folder down—the guy was going to be thrilled.

Three minutes before their designated meeting time, Devon spied the two walking up the stairs leading to the glass-walled meeting rooms. She sat straighter in her chair, getting her briefing mode on. She was just about to wave to them when something peculiar caught her attention.

Shane had a half-pinched, half-laughing expression on his face, and he was holding two tumblers. Ryan sported a combination of a scowl and a grimace, resulting into a comically exaggerated expression—no wonder Shane looked like he was about to double over in laughter.

But more importantly, Ryan was limping. Like, _badly_.

Devon raised an inquisitive eyebrow as the two walked in—well, as Shane walked in coolly, with Ryan hobbling pitifully beside him. Ryan glared at his co-host as Shane held the door open.

When the two proceeded to take their seats across Devon, she had to contain her sympathetic wince as Ryan gingerly sank into the chair, his face scrunching and his muscles tensing as his bottom made contact with the stiff material.

“Is—is everything alright?” she couldn’t help but ask, eyeing the two.

Shane had barely opened his mouth—probably to offer her a sane explanation of what was going on—but Ryan beat him to it.

“Everything is _fine_ ,” Ryan deadpanned, his eyes on Shane. The challenge was plain on his face—he honestly looked like he was ready to throw down if Shane so much as said a word—but the other man looked as unfazed as ever.

Shane met her bewildered look then and shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “What Ryan said.”

Devon rolled her eyes. These boys _and_ their antics.

Despite the occasional squirming by Ryan and snickers by Shane, the meeting proceeded smoothly enough. They discussed the figures they have so far, their short-term and long-term objectives, their proposed projects, episode suggestions, and lastly, the approved trip to New Mexico for the finale. And like she predicted, this news made Ryan cheer with satisfaction—that was, until it was cut short when he almost fell out of his chair in pain when he pumped his fist in the air happily, evidently forgetting to mind whatever it was that was wrong with his backside.

Ryan managed to get a few choice words in before Shane started making loud beeping noises over him, effectively censoring the rest of what he was saying. Devon didn’t know whether she wanted to laugh or be horrified.

“Really, you guys,” Devon said seriously, getting worried now. “Should I call for an ambulance? Ryan, if you need to go to a hospital—”

Ryan pretty much yelled _no_ the same time Shane raised his hands placatingly and assured her it wasn’t necessary.

“It’s…uhh, it’s really not that bad,” Ryan hedged carefully, his forehead starting to sweat visibly. He clutched at the edges of the conference table with a vice-like grip, and he looked pleadingly at Shane.

Shane frowned at him, then turned to Devon with a funny look. “Uhhhm, you really don’t have to worry about it, Dev.”

“Ryan looks like someone stabbed him, Shane,” Devon pointed out, gesturing towards Ryan where he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Shane’s face immediately closed off, his expression turning into a professional half-smile. “Well… _that_. Uhhh—it’s, _well_ , it’s something that kinda happens sometimes. It’s…natural?”

“It’s embarrassing, really—and I’m sorry you had to see this. But really, everything’s fine. I don’t need an ambulance, or a hospital for that matter, God…” Ryan promised her, looking like he wanted the earth to swallow him where he sat.

“It’ll go away within the day,” Shane explained to her in a soothing tone, to which she just raised another eyebrow. He looked away and murmured, “…hopefully.”

Ryan buried his face in his hands and made a sound that sounded like a horrified sob.

“Well, if you’re sure…” Devon said, not sure what else to do.

“Yep!” Shane agreed without missing a beat. “So, can we go now?”

Devon nodded slowly, still eyeing Ryan as he slowly stood up, his hand darting to his hip. “Yeah, yeah, we’re done here. I’ll send you the documents in an email later today.”

“See you later, Dev,” Shane said cheerfully, helping Ryan up.

“See ya,” she responded casually, watching the two make their way to the door.

They almost made it there uneventfully, until Ryan’s hushed whine—which he probably didn’t think would carry all the way to where Devon sat—broke the silence.

“I don’t know if I can actually walk any further, oh God,” he whispered, looking at Shane despairingly.

Shane immediately glanced over his shoulder to look at her, but she was able to look away before their eyes met. She wasn’t sure she fooled him though—Shane was very observant, and she was certain her body language gave her away. Her folder being held upside down probably didn’t help her case either.

He looked away eventually. “Let’s go, Ryan. The sooner you get back to your desk, the better. You won’t have to stand up again until five, I promise.”

Devon stared after them as the two walked down the stairs slowly, and let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding when they disappeared from view.

Fans and coworkers alike kept on teasing Ryan about his supposed preoccupation with butt stuff—Devon thought she now knew why. _Huh_.

“Imagine that,” she mumbled to herself as she picked up her folders. No wonder they got along together so well.

\------

On the other side of the building—

“I hate to break this to you, but,” Shane said, trailing after Ryan as they headed back to their corner of the office. “Devon totally looked like she assumed the wrong thing.”

“Like what?” Ryan asked irritably, lifting his leg every so often to relieve the pressure on his groin.

“You know what,” Shane said tonelessly. “Maybe you should have just told her what happened.”

Ryan whipped around to face him, eyes wide and face red. “Hell no! No way— _no_. Don’t you dare!”

“Jeez,” Shane sighed. “But it’s natural, Ry. Desks can be tricky sometimes—so you were so distracted that you didn’t even notice the desk was on a collision course with your, _er_ , family jewels. It happens! You could have told her, and I don’t think she’d have given it another thought.”

Ryan’s face went from a mild flush to full-on tomato red. “ _Fuck no!_ My balls, my business, buddy!”

Shane raised his hands up and smothered another laugh—he didn’t succeed much at the latter part though. “Alright, alright. Got it! Just—no more yelling about balls in the corridor, okay?”

“Shut up, Shane.”

* * *

**– Devon Joralmon, _Part 2_ –**

Devon immediately made her way back to the Unsolved set the moment she realized her bullet journal was missing. They have just finished having a short brief after they returned to the office from filming the second Winchester episode. She was certain she still had her journal in the car, and the only place she had been in between the ride back to the office and the time she realized it was gone was the Unsolved set. She walked faster—she had to get it back before they put away all the equipment completely and strip the set down.

There was no one in the room when she stepped in, much to her surprise.

“Alright, where is it?” she mumbled to herself as she glanced around quickly, trying to spot the bulky journal. It was thick with all her notes and schedules and various printouts—it should be difficult to miss.

She was just about to start opening drawers when she heard rustling noises in the small storage space—more like a really small walk-in closet—they had on one end of the room. Before she could call out and ask who was in there, the rustling was punctuated by the sound of heavy objects falling. It was immediately followed by grunts, and then shushing.

Devon frowned.

She grabbed the nearest thing she could get her hands on—it turned out to be an ornate brass lamp—and followed the sounds, only to find Ryan and Shane rushing out of the storage room, looking all shifty.

Ryan looked disheveled, and was completely red in the face. His pants looked like he used it to wipe down dust, and he was limping _again_. Shane, who was right behind him, had his lips pressed together, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

“Uhhhm, boys…?” Devon asked, feeling a bit breathless—for a moment there, she thought there was an intruder. She slowly lowered the lamp, which she didn’t realize she had been holding up like a sword.

Shane facepalmed the moment he realized she was there, while Ryan’s eyes went as wide as saucers, looking at her like deer caught in the headlights.

“We, uh,” Shane sighed, patting his shirt down, “we left a GoPro on one of the harnesses, and Ryan wanted to get it back. Guy couldn’t wait at all.”

“Right,” Devon breathed, still eyeing the two of them. “I think I left my journal here somewhere…”

“The leather notebook you always carry around? TJ picked it up. I think I he said he found it in one of the camera bags. You can probably just get it back from him,” Shane said easily. Beside him, Ryan was still wide-eyed and jittery.

Devon took a deep breath and nodded—she wasn’t going to point it out, _nope_.

“Awesome. Thanks,” she said in the most cheerfully casual voice she could muster. “I’ll see you guys later!”

Devon marched out of the set as fast as she could before she could hear anything else, her hand twitching with the urge to smack against her forehead.

“ _Stupid bullet journal_.”

\------

As soon as she was gone, the gunshot click of her heels against the floor signaling her rapid exit, Shane burst out laughing at Ryan.

“I told you!” he guffawed, much to Ryan’s chagrin. “I told you to leave it alone! I could have gotten it for you.”

Ryan glared at him, his hands batting away furiously at the dust bunnies stuck to his jeans. “Shut it, Sasquatch. I got it just fine. I just tripped, that’s all.”

“Sure, buddy. If you say so,” Shane snickered. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to tell Teej not to put our gear away on overhead shelving anymore.”

“Fuck you, man,” Ryan growled, rubbing his tailbone where he landed on when he fell down just moments ago.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what Devon already thinks we’re doing,” Shane said cheerfully, not at all sounding bothered by the thought.

“Oh shut up, dude.”

* * *

**– Jen Ruggirello, video producer –**

“Oh hey, Ryan,” Jen greeted casually when it turned out that the lumpy figure sprawled on one of the chairs outside the Riverdale meeting room was Ryan. She was on her way downstairs when she passed by the guy, who was tapping away bonelessly on his laptop.

“Hi Jen,” Ryan said back distractedly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he straightened up. “What’s up?”

“I was just about to go to the canteen to get some snacks. Want me to grab something for you?” Jen asked as she leaned on the railing.

“Naaah. Thanks though,” Ryan said, turning back to his laptop with a frown.

“You feeling okay there?”

“Yeaaaah,” Ryan mumbled, saving his document and closing his laptop. “I’m just a bit behind with my research on this one ep, and it’s turning out to be harder than I thought it would be. And now I got this meeting—” He sighed deeply, head shaking slightly from side to side.

“ _Ahhh_ ,” Jen intoned, not really familiar with the pressure of working on a series, or the academic-style research that Unsolved seemed to require for its episodes. Her eyes landed on the fabric bunched around Ryan’s neck as she looked for something else to say—she definitely recognized that fabric. “Isn’t that Shane’s hoodie?”

Ryan slowly looked down at his chest, as if to check what he was wearing.

“Yeaaah,” he drawled, tugging absently at the zipper. He definitely looked like he could use more sleep—or more coffee, at least. “He left it at my place. I was going to return it today, but I—uhh, the meeting room is way too cold. So Shane made me wear this.”

And right on cue, Ryan yawned.

“Oh, so that’s why you’re sitting out here,” Jen nodded thoughtfully, choosing not to comment on how Ryan phrased that last part. “Well, I’ll get going then. See you.”

Ryan waved goodbye at her before slumping down into the chair once more, eyes already closed.

\------

Jen was on her way back to her desk, snacks and drinks successfully acquired, when she ran into Shane.

And she just really couldn’t help but notice that Shane was wearing Ryan’s denim jacket.

“Hey Shane! _Nice_ _jacket_.”

Shane paused to look at her casually, then he shrugged. “Uhh, yeah.”

Jen just continued to look at him expectantly. Eventually, he gave in and sighed, long fingers dragging through his hair as he explained.

“He forgot it at my place,” he said. Then he added with a smirk, “So it’s mine now.”

She barked out a laugh, her chips almost spilling out of her arms. “Wow, remind me to never visit your place. I shudder to think of maybe losing my phone or laptop…or anything, really.”

“I’m just kidding,” Shane said with a smile after a while. “But it _is_ a nice jacket. I asked Ryan where he got it from, but he said I can just wear this one, so.”

Jen waited for the rest of the explanation, but Shane left it at that—as if it explained everything!

She was clearly missing something here…

“Have you seen Ryan, by the way?”

Jen blinked, the question derailing her train of thought. “Uhh, yeah. Saw him in front of Riverdale a while ago, before I went to the canteen. I think he had a meeting.”

Before she was even done speaking, Shane was already shaking his sleeve back.

“At this rate, he’s gonna miss lunch,” Shane murmured to himself, eyes fixed on his wristwatch. “And the guy was looking forward to Chipotle too…”

Jen just stared at him. When he looked up, he had the determined expression of a man on a mission.

“I’m gonna go grab some burritos. Can’t let our little guy down. Bye, Jen.”

And just like that, he was gone.

* * *

**– Mark Celestino, _BuzzFeed Unsolved_ , cameraman –**

He always saw the two of them through a lens. To be fair, he saw most of the world through a lens. It was what he did.

But sometimes, during breaks in filming when he wasn't looking at them through a camera, he still got the feeling that he was watching a cinematic scene unfold.

At first, he thought it was just his brain doing its camera thing. It wasn’t uncommon for him to look at normal, everyday scenarios and think of them in terms of lighting, camera angle, frame composition, and other similar elements.

But after a while, he realized that it wasn’t just his brain switching into cinematographer mode whenever he found his gaze hovering around the two—it was really just Ryan and Shane that intrinsically felt like they were a slice of a silent movie come to life.

They always moved and talked and bickered like there were only two of them, in their own little world. They teased and laughed like no one else was there. They had their own plane of existence, and Mark always felt like he was just a part of the audience, watching from behind a 4k HD screen.

It was surreal, the way the two of them painted an idyllic scene so mesmerizing to watch.

And so, Mark found himself wanting to watch Ryan and Shane with his own two eyes just as much as he enjoyed watching the rest of the world from behind the camera. After all, it wasn’t often that he found two people that looked so good together through a lens just as much as they did in person.

* * *

**– Mark Celestino, _Part 2_ –**

It didn’t take long—just a few trips for filming episodes of Unsolved—for him to realize that Ryan and Shane had a system for who carried what, and that they stuck to this system quite religiously. Shane carried his and Ryan’s personal belongings, and Ryan helped carry equipment for filming.

At first, Mark thought it was because Shane did not want to carry heavy stuff—a tripod alone wasn’t all that heavy, but weight easily stacked up when you have to bring several c-stands, ghost-hunting paraphernalia, and an assortment of cameras, all within their respective cases.

But he once tried to lift Ryan's backpack, and it was heavier than some of their lighting rigs. In fact, it barely budged from where it sat so innocently on the floor.

“Just exactly what does Ryan put in there?” he huffed as Shane walked over to retrieve the bag—he slung it over his shoulder with a practiced ease, giving the frankly awe-inspiring impression that the thing weighed next to nothing.

“Who knows,” Shane shrugged, smiling coolly—Mark didn’t believe for a second that Shane didn’t know. “Maybe burritos.”

Mark was tempted to ask why they distributed luggage the way they did, but he had the feeling he wasn’t going to get a proper answer. It wouldn’t have been the first time Shane and Ryan did things their own way, anyway.

Ryan always ordered for the two of them whenever they passed by a Starbucks.

Shane always ordered when it was a Chipotle.

Ryan always drove.

Shane always stayed whenever Ryan wanted to stay at the office well into the night and look at the footage they just shot.

Ryan never missed an opportunity to sample food from Shane’s plate.

Shane never passed up a chance to point out things that were taller than Ryan.

They’ve always done a lot of weirdly specific things, and Mark was just happy to finally understand why.

* * *

**– Adam Bianchi, _Worth It_ , executive producer, director of photography, editor –**

Adam was seated on one of the egg-shaped couches in one corner of the pantry, sipping contentedly on his Coke, when Ryan burst in, face twisted into a terrified expression not too different from that of a victim in a _Saw_ movie.

The man headed straight to the coffee pot, only to find it empty. The way his face crumpled even more made Adam feel guilty, even though his Coke-filled tumbler clearly indicated he was in no way responsible for the lack of coffee in pantry at the moment.

Ryan cursed under his breath once, then he started muttering to himself as he paced erratically in front of the counter, movements jerking and abrupt, as if undecided whether he wanted to put the pot on and make more coffee or just sink into despair right there.

Before Ryan could keep at his manic pacing any longer than the few seconds Adam had witnessed so far, Shane appeared by the door, carrying two Starbucks cups. Whatever expression he had on his face immediately smoothened into a benign mask the moment he spotted Ryan.

“Ryan,” he called out, marching quickly to where Ryan hovered in front of the offending coffee pot. “I messaged you. Didn’t you read your texts? Here, I got you coffee.”

Shane had barely pressed the still steaming cup into Ryan’s slightly shaking hands before he took a grateful sip, his whole frame vibrating—quite literally—with tension. He put the cup down on the counter as a shudder rocked through his body. Adam was surprised he could see it even from the corner of the room.

Shane put a hand on his co-host’s shoulder. “It’s going to be okay, man.”

“I know, I know, I just—” Ryan spluttered, his hands wrapped so tightly around the cup it was starting to deform. The words were cut off by a breathless, choking sound.

“Come on, buddy,” Shane said gently as he guided him into a nearby chair and made him sit down. He nudged Ryan’s shoulder slowly, coaxing the guy to look at him. “Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”

Adam looked away then, because the moment—the hushed voice, the vague but obviously emotionally charged scene, the vulnerability on display—felt so intimate, and he instinctively knew this wasn’t something meant for other people to see or hear.

…but they _were_ in the pantry. And Adam was technically here first, unnoticeable as he was in the corner.

When Shane sat down in front of Ryan and leaned in closer to murmur words that didn’t carry despite the pin-drop silence, Adam picked up his Coke and snuck out of the pantry as quietly as he could. No need to intrude on a private moment if he could help it.

Especially that of a hushed couple.

* * *

**– Evan Ghang, video producer –**

Evan made his way to the wardrobe section of their props room in order to change into an outfit that was okay to get dirty during the course of the food video that he was supposed to shoot in an hour. If he knew beforehand that the food was going to be soups and sauces, he wouldn’t have gone to work wearing one of his favorite long-sleeved shirts.

Surely there had to be outfits available in BuzzFeed’s extensive wardrobe collection that looked similar enough to the stuff he usually wore—he didn’t wanna soil his clothes if he could help it, but he still needed to maintain his image. He rounded the corner leading to his destination.

Evan paused by the entrance when he heard laughter inside.

He took a peek, and saw Ryan and Shane standing by the suits rack. Both men had what looked like a full set of outfit slung over their shoulders, and they were currently putting tacky golden bracelets and necklaces on each other. They were laughing boisterously, their faces red as they pawed through a jewelry box and fished out equally flashy golden rings. Even from afar, the exaggerated golden gleam of the fake accessories were blindingly bright. Way too flashy. Evan just stood there, somewhat shocked speechless, as he watched Shane manhandle a squirming Ryan in order to pin his flexing arm down and shove the snazzy rings into his wiggling fingers.

Evan scratched his elbow, hesitating by the door—he normally didn’t mind being in the same dressing room with other people, but he didn't want to intrude on Ryan and Shane. He wasn’t in a hurry or anything.

He turned around and walked back to the hall, deciding to just wait them out. He had time.

Just as he decided that it was the perfect opportunity to grab a LaCroix, he ran into Kelsey.

“I thought you were going to change?” she asked curiously, falling into step right beside him as he headed to the pantry. “You were so worried about your shirt too.”

Evan could feel his forehead crinkling as he tried to relay what was going on in the props room at the moment. It was difficult putting the scene into words, now that he was doing it.

“So, Ryan and Shane, horsing around as always. But this time, in the dressing room,” Kelsey summarized, looking up at him expectantly as if asking for confirmation.

“Well,” Evan hedged, staring at his LaCroix. “They were putting jewelry on each other…”

“I’m sorry—they were _what_ now?” Kelsey blurted out, her cute mouth rounded into an incredulous O.

“Yeah,” Evan exhaled. “I didn’t want to disturb them.”

Kelsey opened her mouth as if to say something, then abruptly stopped and straightened in her seat, her lips pressed together as she nodded sagely. “Yeah, I get what you mean. Those two…”

Evan took a swig as he took in Kelsey’s knowing look, confirming what he thought.

“Well, I dropped by my set earlier—it looks like they’re supposed to be shooting in the library set in a few minutes. Postmortem, probably. They should have left wardrobe by now,” Kelsey said, jumping back to her feet nimbly. “Anyway, time for work. See you later, Evan.”

Evan wasn’t in a hurry earlier, but he did have to get changed now.

On his way back to the props room, he bumped into the two Unsolved Hosts in question. They’ve both changed into suits—which was probably why they were in there to begin with. Shane was wearing a navy blue blazer and a white shirt that was barely buttoned, and he had several gaudy gold necklaces hanging on his chest…

Ryan, on the other hand, was wearing a tight gray blazer ensemble with a skinny black tie. He looked…incredibly sharp.

“Damn, _Ryan_ ,” he wolf-whistled before he realized what he was doing. It was too late to take it back, so he just followed it with a playful smirk.

Shane…raised an eyebrow at him, while Ryan said “Thanks, but I’m supposed to look like an asshole” with a cocky grin.

Evan swallowed nervously, unsure how he was supposed to react with Ryan oozing pheromones while Shane stared at Evan with a territorial glint in his eyes. After a few wordless moments, he just settled for being speechless.

Shane smirked almost imperceptibly before his expression defaulted back into his casual aloof mask. They waved goodbye at him, then turned and made their way to the Unsolved set.

Evan watched as Shane’s hand went up to hover behind the small of Ryan’s back, his head tilted slightly to the side as Ryan chattered away happily, both men walking down the corridor completely wrapped up in their own private bubble once more.

* * *

**– Kristin Chirico, _Ladylike_ , lead producer –**

The moment they stepped into Ryan’s bedroom, Shane immediately headed to the bed, grabbed a pillow, fluffed it up with a practiced ease, and plopped down unceremoniously, making himself comfortable. Ryan didn’t even seem to notice it—he just headed straight to his closet and opened it for Kristin’s inspection.

As soon as they were done filming the part where Kristin examined the contents of Ryan’s closet, Shane asked Ryan casually if he wanted something to drink—to which Ryan nodded gratefully. Shane then ducked out of the room, and returned shortly with two glasses of milk.

“Since when did you start drinking milk too?” Ryan asked curiously as he gulped down the contents of his glass—the man had to be _incredibly_ thirsty, at the rate he was chugging that milk.

Shane shrugged, taking his time with his own glass. “Well…the carton was close to full. I figured you were going to need help finishing it off before it goes bad.”

Ryan threw Shane a look that Kristin didn’t quite understand, then he shrugged. The motion didn’t really match the boyish smile that was pulling his lips up at the corners. “I guess you’re right.”

Shane just hummed his approval.

“Thanks, man.”

Kristin turned to Freddie. “This is Ryan’s place, right?”

Freddie gave her a confused look. “Yeah. Why?”

Kristin just shook her head, wondering just exactly how close the two guys were.

* * *

**– Freddie Ransome, _Ladylike_ , lead producer –**

They stood outside Shane’s door, cowering slightly from the LA sun beating down on them cheerfully. Freddie resisted the urge to fan herself with her hands and groan. She tried to ignore the scorching feeling by looking around, pretending she wasn’t at all wishing Shane would hurry up with the lock.

She caught Kristin’s eye, and they exchanged a knowing look—it was _hooooot_.

Like, for real. _Hot._ Freddie was just about to speak when Shane suddenly leaned down to Ryan and murmured something, immediately followed by Ryan bursting out laughing at him. He almost hit the camera in the process.

“Really, man?” he guffawed at his tall buddy.

Freddie raised an eyebrow—they were _still_ outside, and the door was _still_ firmly closed. “What’s going on, guys?”

Shane started laughing as well, then turned to her with some effort, his whole frame rocking with unbridled mirth. “Uhhh, I forgot my keys in my bag. Which I left in the office.”

There was an audible rumble as all three girls groaned at the same time. Ryan laughed harder.

Freddie sighed and scratched her head. “Well, I guess it’s not that far from the office…”

Shane immediately shook his head. “Ahh, no. It’s okay. We got this.”

Freddie could see Kristin’s eyebrow twitching from the corner of her eye—right in front of her, Ryan was digging into his pocket. The pocket of his pretty much skin-tight ripped jeans. With his big hands. To be honest, it looked as if he would tear the material apart if he shoved his hand any deeper.

Freddie shook her head, trying to dispel the thought before it could go further down _that_ road.

After almost elbowing the camera— _again_ —Ryan finally pulled his hand out. He fumbled with his wallet for a moment, and after turning around for a quick second, the door finally, _mercifully_ , swung open.

“You’re a lifesaver, man!” Shane said happily, throwing an arm around Ryan’s bulging shoulder as they walked in the door and out of the sun, seemingly having forgotten about the girls.

Freddie and Kristin stood outside the door, watching them go. Freddie whipped around to look at the rest of their group.

“Did that just… Did Ryan just open Shane’s door with his own key?”

Kristin’s mouth curved into a surprised O while their camera person just shrugged.

“ _Whooooa_.”

* * *

**– Alix Traeger, _Tasty_ , producer –**

Another day at BuzzFeed, another day of making food videos. And boy, did she love it! Food was her passion in life, and she was thrilled to have a job that allowed her to share her creations with the world.

If someone asked, she’d say that the hardest part of her job was recruiting people to taste the dishes on camera. She had a limited pool of people to work with, and she wasn’t the only video producer who regularly made people try out food. And to begin with, not everyone in BuzzFeed was willing to work in front of the camera. Sooo…yeah. Recruitment was the hardest part.

Today, she was filming a video that focused on a recipe from 1910. She could already tell it was going to be a tad difficult to find tasters for—it was oyster-and-chicken pie. Between allergies and just personal preference against seafood, she was going to have to ask a lot more people than usual in order to get enough volunteers for the video.

Which was why, when she saw Shane loitering around the office, she immediately walked over, put on her most charming smile, and invited him to join her video for the tasting part.

“I have something planned, actually,” Shane trailed off, frowning slightly. Then his expression brightened up considerably. “But hey! If I can bring someone else with me, I’d be happy to join!”

Considering Alix’s prediction of how difficult it was going to be to find volunteers, she was already nodding enthusiastically before Shane could even finish speaking.

“The more, the merrier!” she said eagerly, thankful that she was getting two for the price of one.

Before she could ask who it was, Shane had already started walking away, phone raised up to his ear. The last thing she heard before Shane rounded the corner was “It’s a date, baby!”

\------

“You promised me we were gonna have Chipotle today,” Ryan pouted at Shane after their turn at sampling the bland pie.

“Yes, I know,” Shane said placatingly. Alix tried to act natural—not only did she feel guilty that she apparently caused a Chipotle lunch date to turn into a shitty lunch date instead, she also didn’t realize Shane was referring to Ryan when he mentioned bringing someone along. She honestly thought it was going to be…his partner… _wait a second_.

She glanced at the pair at the corner of her eyes. Ryan was leaning against a wall, chugging a Coke that Shane got for him from God knew where—Alix wasn’t sure if the fridges in Tasty had any supply of sodas in can. Shane was standing in front of him, one arm braced on the wall beside Ryan’s head, leaning down closely to Ryan as they tried to talk over the noise in the area. They were pretty much doing BuzzFeed’s version of _kabedon_ , and Alix couldn’t believe her eyes at the moment.

“How about I treat you to dinner,” Shane offered, smiling at Ryan.

Ryan’s frown just deepened. “I have a lot of stuff to finish up, I can’t—”

“…when we go to Disneyland on Saturday,” Shane finished, grinning as Ryan’s jaw dropped open.

“I…I didn’t know we had plans this weekend, big guy,” Ryan stammered, his whole face lighting up with a childish joy.

“We do now,” Shane said smoothly, laughing when Ryan ended up elbowing him in the ribs playfully.

Alix turned back to what she was doing, before the guys caught him eavesdropping. She learned something new today, _oh boy_. No wonder their show was so successful—their dynamic was founded on something more than just camera personas and theatrics.

“It’s a date, baby!” Shane beamed at his co-host. Ryan almost choked on his Coke smiling involuntarily at Shane’s expression.

Working at BuzzFeed never got boring, that’s for sure.

* * *

**– Rie McClenny, _Tasty_ , producer –**

Rie looked on curiously as the two guys started working on the recipe together without being prompted at all.

“Frankly, we don’t even have to do anything else,” Shane declared confidently, churning the grated apples in the bowl with his bare hands. He didn’t look even the slightest bit fazed, despite saying off-cam that he didn’t really have a lot of experience in the kitchen. “This looks good enough on its own.”

“Yeah, I would eat this right now,” his co-host agreed cheerfully, dumping sugar on the bowl with the finesse of…well, someone who didn’t have much experience in the kitchen either.

Rie pretty much faded into the background as the two guys worked the apples with a child-like delight.

“It feels good,” Ryan then said. “You could do this on a nice, hot summer day—”

“Yeah, just out on the porch—”

“…yeah, just squeezing your apples,” Ryan finished, looking up at Shane with twinkling eyes.

Shane looked away from the bowl and gestured, as if envisioning the future, “Staring off at the horizon, squeezing your apple bits…”

“Yeah,” Ryan coughed out a laugh, gaze drifting off into the distance as well. “—looking at the neighbors.”

There was a long silence that followed, during which the two guys just kind of looked back and forth at each other, grinning every once in a while. Eventually, the smiles became more and more subtle, like a private moment slowly being shuttered away from the public’s eyes, and Rie had to clap her hand to break the bubble and read the instructions loudly in order to steer them back into the video they were filming. She was pretty sure that pause was going to be edited out anyway, if their cameraman’s look was any indication of how peculiar that moment truly was.

As she explained how churro dough was going to be the foundation of their apple tater recipe, she wondered to herself what was so out of the ordinary about that earlier exchange. And it didn’t take long for her to realize it—the scenario they talked about painted a picture where they both lived together!

And once she realized that, everything else clicked into place—why they looked at each other often and fondly, why they bickered happily, why they looked so comfortable with each other in a way that make people look twice, why they had many many stories to share and just as many dreams for the future, why they cracked jokes that Rie didn't really understand, like they had an entire world to themselves that no one else was privy to.

“Well, see you on the other side,” Ryan said, holding up an apple tater.

“Yeah, cheers!” Shane answered automatically, bumping the little morsels together. He looked at Ryan with a solemn gaze and said, “To ghouls.”

“To ghouls.”

Rie wasn’t even surprised anymore that Shane’s gaze was fixed on Ryan the entire time Ryan was chewing the freshly cooked apple tater. Now that she knew what she was looking at, she was surprised she didn’t see it from the very beginning. It all seemed so obvious now.

They were having fun—lots of it, it looked like—with the rest of the plate, while Rie quickly put away everything they used for the shoot. The boys offered to help, but she insisted they eat the rest instead. They inspired it, after all. And so, they spent the whole time feeding each other apple taters in all sorts of ways. Tossing it in the air and catching it with their mouths. Moving it through the air like an airplane, as if they were kids. Marriage toast, where they link arms as they put the small nugget in their mouths. Ryan eating it slowly while making faces as if he was on a shoot for a food magazine. Shane making the apple taters talk like his characters on the hot dog cartoon he made—which resulted into bouts of laughter from Ryan that had the entire room looking at them.

They just looked so happy together, and so unapologetically themselves. And that was fine. Rie thought they made a very adorable couple. It was kind of hard not to.

* * *

**– Cindy, _Starbucks,_ barista –**

Ryan quickly told her his order, his phone pressed next to his ear. She can’t really understand what he was talking about, but she was pretty sure it was a work-related call.

“Yeah, okay. I’ll look at the episode list. I think I have enough for, like, three more seasons,” he said into his phone, handing her a twenty distractedly. “Jeez—BuzzFeed sure works its employees to the bone, don’t they?”

Cindy could only wonder what the person on the other end said that had Ryan laughing all of a sudden, his eyes crinkling with mirth as he pocketed his change. He always laughed like he was the happiest man in the world.

“Shut up, Shane!”

_Ahhh_ , no wonder he was laughing like that. Like everything was right in the world.

She pulled out her phone while she was on break— the BuzzFeed office wasn’t far from their location at all, now that she thought about it—and quickly typed some choice word into the search bar.

_Ryan._

_Shane._

_BuzzFeed._

And sure enough, there they were—on the crystal clear display of her phone—together at last.

“A show, huh?” she murmured to herself, clicking on the Wikipedia link. Several seasons, dozens of episodes, their own channel, a very interesting show going strong. She pressed _back_ and scrolled down the results page. Thousands of works revolving around the two. Comics, memes, Tumblr posts, fiction. A whole new world, and she had just stumbled upon it. “ _Wow._ ”

All those mornings when Ryan walked in, dutifully ordering his and Shane’s coffee-and-tea combo despite looking like he was going to fall asleep on his feet. All those text messages, which were probably from Shane, that lit him up like a firework. All those times he just stared at the name scribbled on the tea he ordered, smiling like no one was watching. All those times Shane walked in instead, ordering a handful of pastries on top of their usual drinks, texting someone with an expression on his face that said _I got this man, you just go get some more sleep, I’ll be there before you know it_.

Today, the questions were finally answered. They looked so good together, and they had a whole show to prove it. Maybe one day they will finally walk in together, maybe sit down for a coffee and some cake. But for now, the mystery of Ryan and Shane was no longer… _unsolved_.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it, I'd really love a comment! I'm still super thirsty for comments, lol. I'm on Tumblr (just a lurker though): leylines-on-ao3. Translations to other languages welcome! Podfic welcome! Just let me know so I can put a link here. (Even though I don't know how to do that, lol. I'll figure it out.)


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